1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a key cylinder for an electronic locking device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a key cylinder for an electronic locking device which may improve durability, assemblability and productivity by stabilizing a lock pin which is fluctuated by a direction conversion rotary ring in accordance with operation of a driving motor built in a key cylinder and thereby performs locking and opening (releasing) operations so as to guarantee reliability of operation, and further by simplifying components and assembling a driving part of a driving motor and a passive part of a lock pin operating by a direction conversion rotary ring such that the driving part and the passive part are separated so as to protect components from external shocks.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, locking devices are installed to secure drawers of home furniture, furniture, public buildings, various storage spaces of commercial buildings, doors, lockers, facilities and the like.
Locking devices for security are classified into mechanical locking devices and electronic locking devices. Mechanical locking devices may be released by a universal key and the like. In addition, when keys of mechanical locking devices are lost, locking devices must be changed.
Considering such problems, electronic locking devices using electronic keys are suggested to supplement problems of mechanical locking devices.
Korean Patent No. 10-0653105 entitled “Electronic Locking Device Using Solenoid” is characterized in that, using an electronic key having storage and change functions of a release code and other release-related data, a solenoid device operating by a control device in a cylinder is used to lock and release.
Meanwhile, Korean Patent No. 10-0106903 entitled “Cylinder-type Electronic Locking Device” is characterized in that, using an electronic key, a driving motor operating by a control device in a cylinder drives a locking pin to lock and release.
Korean Patent No. 10-0106903 disclosed above describes in a section of “Advantageous Effect” as follows: the cylinder-type electronic locking device locking may minimize power consumption and thereby increase use time of a battery built in an electronic key since, for locking and releasing, a driving motor operates only when a rotary stopper is rotated such that a locking pin is lifted or descended in a through-hole of a second shaft cylinder. In addition, since a rotation control spring preventing arbitrary rotation of a rotation axis of the driving motor is installed, the rotary stopper fluctuating the locking pin may accurately operate and, as such, reliability of locking and releasing may be improved. Furthermore, by designing such that a movement direction (fluctuating direction) of the locking pin is perpendicular to an axis direction of the rotary stopper, resistance to external shocks may be greatly improved and, as such, a locking state may be safely protected from impure motives to release a locking device without permission.
However, FIGS. 1 to 4 of a publication of Korean Patent No. 10-0106903 disclosed above exhibit problems in accordance with a constitution and operation of a driving mechanism of the driving motor and the locking pin.
That is, the driving mechanism is constituted by connecting a rotation axis 266 of the driving motor 260 through a square groove 261a formed at a rotation stopper 261, by installing a rotation stopper 261 such that the rotation stopper 261 rotates in an insertion groove 234 formed in a second shaft cylinder 230, and by elastically installing a locking pin 240 including a locking axis 242 and a locking projection 241 through a spring 243 having a repulsive force to a through-hole 231 including a jaw portion 231a formed in a perpendicular direction to the insertion groove 234 the second shaft cylinder 230, is constituted such that the locking axis 242 disposes toward a release portion 290 and a locking portion 291 formed at an external of diameter the rotation stopper 261, is constituted such that a front end portion of a wire-shaped rotation control spring 265 having a elastic force is fixed to a driving motor 260 and elastically is adhered to a rotation axis 266 of an arc-shape portion formed at both sides having a square column shape, to prevent a rotation axis 266 of the driving motor 260 rotates arbitrarily, and is constituted by forming a rotation prevention jaw 264 at an end portion of the rotation stopper 261 and by installing rotation stop pin 262 at a second shaft cylinder 230 through an installation hole 263 formed at a position perpendicularly corresponding to a rotation prevention jaw 264 such that a predetermined angle rotates when the rotation stopper 261 rotates.
According to the above invention, when the rotation axis 266 of the driving motor 260 reversibly rotates to approximately a 180 degree, the rotation stopper 261 interworking with the rotation axis 266 rotates and thereby positions of the locking portion 291 and the releasing portion 290 formed per a 180 degree direction of the rotation stopper 261 changes, and, accordingly, a locking pin 240 elastically installed in the spring 243 appears and disappears in a locking groove 212. As a result, a first and second shaft cylinder is locked in or released from a body cylinder 210.
In the cylinder-type electronic locking device of Korean Patent No. 10-0106903 constituted and working as described above, the rotation control spring 265 locating in the rotation axis 266 of the driving motor 260 may lease from the rotation axis 266 due to shocks occurring when shocks are added to the driving motor 260 during processes opening and closing doors. Especially, when directions of shocks added to the driving motor 260 are perpendicular to an axis direction, the rotation control spring 265 may be easily detached. Such a phenomenon is because the rotation controls spring 265 plays two functions. That is, first, when both sides of the rotation axis 266 is clamped by the rotation control spring 265, the rotation control spring 265 is elastically estranged during rotation of the rotation axis 266 and thereby rotation load must be minimized such that rotation of the rotation axis 266 is not disturbed. Second, when rotation of the rotation axis 266 stops, in order to prevent arbitrary rotary the rotation axis 266, both sides of the rotation axis 266 must be elastically clamped by the rotation control spring 265 and thereby a wire diameter must be determined such that the rotation control spring 265 performs the both functions which are ambilaterality.
When the wire diameter of the rotation control spring 265 is thick, rotation of the rotation axis 266 is disturbed and thereby load on the driving motor 260 is generated. Accordingly, the diameter of the wire must be thin (namely, the wire must be enable to flap) so as to perform the both functions disclosed above.
In a situation like this, when the rotation control spring 265 is detached from the rotation axis 266 and thereby the rotation axis 266 rotates due to external shocks, the rotation stopper 261 interlocking with the rotation axis 266 arbitrarily rotates and thereby misoperation may occur.
Additionally, since the rotation axis 266 of the driving motor 260 is directly connected to and integrated with the rotation stopper 261, external shocks are directly transferred to the rotation stopper 261 and thereby the rotation stopper 261 arbitrarily rotates, and, accordingly, misoperation occurs.
Next, appearing and disappearing operations of the locking pin 240 are performed by a repulsive force of the spring 243 installed in the through-hole 231. Therefore, when the locking projection 241 of the locking pin 240 is free from the locking groove 212 of the body cylinder 210 and rotates along an inner wall during a releasing operation, friction as much as a repulsive force of the spring 243 occurs and, due to the friction force, the first and second cylinder shafts do not smoothly rotate.
Next, components constituting the driving mechanism includes the rotation axis 266 (first component) of the driving motor 260, the rotation control spring 265 (second component) controlling arbitrary rotation of the rotation axis 266, the rotation stopper 261 (third component) connected to the rotation axis 266, the rotation stop pin 262 (fourth component) rotating the rotation stopper 261 up to a predetermined angle, the spring 243 (fifth component) and locking pin 240 (sixth component) locating in a perpendicular direction to the rotation stopper 261 and performing locking and releasing operations. Therefore, due to the complex components, reliability of operation is deteriorated. Furthermore, component costs increase and assemble productivity is deteriorated.
Accordingly, in key cylinders for electronic locking devices, technologies which may increase the reliability of locking and opening operations of a lock pin fluctuating in accordance with operation of a driving motor, which may reduce component costs and may improve assembly productivity by simplifying components used for the operations, and which may protect the components interworking from external shocks by separately assembling driving part of a driving motor and a passive part of the lock pin to improve reliability of operation and durability are still required.